Speakers Profile - Steve Haddan

Steve Haddan has built a reputation for excellence across the widest range of talent-based skills and disciplines. As a comedian he has forged enduring relationships with the movers and shakers of corporate Australia who’ve acknowledged Steve as the go-to man when the job has to be done properly, and with class. His 19 year stint as an on-air presenter and sports journalist with the Nine Network was an accomplishment of which he is immensely proud, so too his achievements as a best-selling author and award- winning radio host.

Steve is a creative thinker, proactive, a team player who with dedication and empathy has forged a richly textured and eclectic career.

Toowoomba born and bred, after completing studies in journalism, drama and Australian History at the University of Queensland in 1980, Steve spent two years as a professional actor, starring in major productions with the La Boite and Queensland Theatre Companies. In 2003, Steve shared the stage with fellow alumni from the RQTC, Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, giving a show stopping performance as his alter ego “Molly” Meldrum at a gala tribute to commemorate the career of the company’s long serving Artistic Director, the late Alan Edwards.

After his stint with the RQTC, Steve embarked on a four-year career with Xerox, becoming one of the company’s top salesmen. In 1985 he won the American Chamber of Commerce Xerox Australian Salesman of the Year Award. At the same time he was moonlighting as a stand-up comic. In 1985, in a series of show-stopping appearances on Network Ten’s hugely popular variety show “Star Search”, an earlier incarnation of the “Australian Idol” concept, Steve cloned an uncanny impression of rock guru, “Molly” Meldrum and achieved national stardom. A run of appearances on Nine’s “Hey it’s Saturday” and Seven’s “Celebrity Family Feud” saw him take his amazing talents as a comic impressionist to the next level. Steve immediately became one of the country’s most sought after corporate performers, engaged by the most demanding blue chip entities.

In a two-year stint as a comedy writer and on-air performer with FM 104, then boasting the largest per capita audience in Australian radio, he landed the Australian Federation of Radio Broadcasters “Raward” for the Best New Talent on Australian metropolitan radio in 1989.

In 1990 he authored and self-published “The Power’s Bitter History of the New South Wales Rugby League Finals” – the first ever history of what is now the National Rugby League. It was a runaway best seller. Another two editions followed with over 17,000 books sold. During the NRL’s centenary year in 2008, Steve produced a third edition “The Finals: 100 years of National Rugby League Finals”, again a runaway success.

In 1992 he was asked to join the Nine Network, hosting the morning variety show “In Brisbane Today” with Fiona McDonald. It was the beginning of a formidable career lasting from 1993 to 2010 where he worked as a sports presenter and journalist with Nine News. In 2010 Steve developed a breakthrough workplace education programme – the Head Heart & Body Master Class – which in its first year trained over 1200 staff at QR National, the Nine Network, Lend Lease and ANZ Private. In late January 2012, 18 months after finishing at Nine, he was asked by the Managing Director Ms Kylie Blucher to return to the station and deliver his ground-breaking Master Class to all 120 full-time staff. It was the first blanket training the station had undertaken since 1993.

Meantime Steve’s bookings as a comedian, after-dinner speaker and master of ceremonies continue to build. His clients all demand, and receive, the very best in quality entertainment.

Steve’s strengths are simple: he’s good, he’s funny, he shows up and he gets the job done. His attention to detail and love of his work are indisputable – he knows the business and is dedicated to establishing long-term relationships with his clients.

There is not a major corporation in Australia which hasn’t at one time utilised the services of this impressive performer. If it has to work, Steve Haddan is your man.